NA_CS_2 Communication Skills 2

University of Finance and Administration
Summer 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Guaranteed by
Mirela Moldoveanu, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Subdepartment of Social Sciences – Department of Social Sciences – Departments – University of Finance and Administration
Contact Person: Dita Egertová
Prerequisites
NA_CS_1 Communication Skills 1
The requirement for the completion of this course is completion of the course NA_CS_1.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
The course focuses on developing essential business communication skills that provide students with communication skills necessary to succeed in business, management and job market administration. Accent is on job recruitment techniques, question and discussion techniques and intercultural business communication and management. The course provides students with a deeper understanding of communication processes to be applied straight away in both local and intercultural business situations. Course objectives: 1. Systematic improvement of business English. 2. Development of the core business communication skills: presentations, job interview techniques, attending and leading meetings, resolving problematic situations, questioning, arguing and discussing, negotiating. 3. Semantic and functional focus: monitoring authentic language of business life, using the most frequently used speech acts across cultures properly and mastering the relevant key phrases fluently and spontaneously. 4. Development of intercultural competences: understanding the principles of language pragmatics, intercultural communication and body language. 5. Writing: acquiring the proficiency in writing authentic business correspondence and documentation – formal and informal e-mails, formal correspondence, CV, social media presentation, press release. 6. Company culture: monitoring the company profiles, management structure and culture with a special focus on intercultural variation.
Learning outcomes
The course output: The students will acquire basic communication skills necessary to succeed in business, management and job market administration. They will get acquainted with job recruitment techniques, questioning, and the discussion techniques used in intercultural business communication and management. The students will understand better communication processes applied in different business situations.
Syllabus
  • COURSE OUTLINE: BLOCK 1 – INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES: Reading: Wursten & Fadrhonc. Writing: Culture relevant small talk topics. Week 1 - Theory: Interviews. Practice: Focus and attention; Active listening. Week 2 - Theory: Accommodation theory. Practice: Body language – mirroring, Echo questions. Week 3 Theory: Interview question types. Speaking: Open-ended vs. close-ended questions; Behavioral interview method. BLOCK 2 – INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE TESTING: Reading: Hall 1988; Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 2000; Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2004; Nollen, 2003. Lewis, R.D. & Gates, M. (2006). Leading Across Cultures. The HRDirector, December 06, Issue 31 Writing: Intercultural competence testing guide Week 4 - Theory: Culture shock theory; Speaking: Targeted job interview questions, reading body language (head, body, hands and eyes). Week 5 - Theory: Dimensions of culture - Edward Hall. Speaking: Targeted job interview questions, reading body language (head, body, hands and eyes). Week 6 - Theory: Dimensions of culture – Geert Hofstede. Speaking: Targeted job interview questions, reading body language (head, body, hands and eyes). Week 7 - Theory: Dimensions of culture – Fons Trompenaars. Speaking: Targeted job interview questions, reading body language (head, body, hands and eyes). BLOCK 3 – QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION: Country profile presentations Week 8 – Theory: Turn-taking. Practice: Language of discussions; Leading discussions, active listening, building rapport; Country profile presentations. Week 9 – Theory: Discussion question types. Practice: Precision questions, dealing with problematic situations; Country profile presentations. Week 10 – Theory: Focus groups. Practice: Leading focus group discussions, further questioning techniques; Country profile presentations. Week 11 – Review and summary. Practice: Country profile presentations. Week 12 – Review and summary: FINAL TEST; INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE TESTING GUIDE (due).
Literature
    required literature
  • Hall, E. T. (1988). The silent language in overseas business. In Baker, J. C., Ryans, J. K. & Howard, D., G. International Business Classics. Massachussetts: Lexington Books, pp. 89-102.
  • Wursten H., Lanzer, F. & Fadrhonc, T. (2012). How to improve efficiency in your HR capital? Itim international.
  • Lewis, R.D. & Gates, M. (2006). Leading Across Cultures. The HRDirector, December 06, Issue 31
  • Sieglova, D. (2015). Communication Skills II: Intercultural Communication and Competence Skills. (NA_CS2_LS2015 Handbook - unpublished)
  • NWT Literacy Council (2012). Soft-skills for Work. ISBN: 978-1-896472-39-3. E-book.
  • NWT Literacy Council (2012). Getting the Job: Workbook. ISBN: 978-1-896472-42-3. E-book.
  • Wilson, K., & Wauson, J. (2011). AMA Handbook of Business Documents : Guidelines and sample documents that make business writing easy. New York: Amer. e-book.
    recommended literature
  • Downes, C. (2009). Cambridge English for Job-hunting. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0521722152
  • Morrison, T., Conaway, W., and Borden, G. (1994). How to do Business in Sixty Countries: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands. Holbrook, Massachusetts: Bob Adams, Inc.
  • Hofstede, G., Hofstede G., J. & Minkov, M. (2004). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. Intercultural Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival. McGraw-Hill Professional.
  • Hampden-Turner, CH., M. & Trompenaars, F. (2000). Building Cross-Cultural Competence. New York: John Wiley & Sons., Ltd.
  • Dignen, B. (2011). Communicating Across Cultures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-18198-3
    not specified
  • Mascull, B. Business Vocabulary in Use Advanced. Cambridge (Chapters 60-62)
  • Mascull, B. Business Vocabulary in Use Intermediate. Cambridge (Chapters 45-46, 63-66)
Teaching methods
Interactive seminars in both types of study (full-time students and blended study program students). The explanation of theoretical concepts and monitoring the authentic business English will be immediately followed by practical exercises - individual work, cooperative learning (pairs, groups), student presentations, role plays and analyses of recorded situations. Multimedia resources (audio and video sequences), transcripts and other authentic material will be used for practice. Related writing exercises and home assignments will complement the speaking practice. Minimum class participation: 75%
Assessment methods
Requirements and assessment: 1. Intercultural Competence Testing Guide (due W12) 2. Country profile presentation (due W11) 3. Final test (W12) Minimum class participation: 75%
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 12 hodin KS/semestr.
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2013, Summer 2014, Summer 2015, Summer 2016, Summer 2017, Summer 2018, Summer 2019, Summer 2020, Summer 2021, Summer 2022, Summer 2023, Summer 2024.
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